Thursday, September 25, 2014

The cases presented here were investigated by the NIOSH Fatality
Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program. The case reports were
selected to represent the most common types of fatal forklift incidents:
(1) forklift overturns, (2) workers struck, crushed, or pinned by a
forklift, and (3) falls from a forklift.

Case 1-Forklift Overturn

On
September 18, 1996, the 43-year-old president of an advertising sign
company was killed while using a sit-down type forklift to unload steel
tubing from a flatbed trailer. He was driving the forklift about 5 miles
per hour beside the trailer on a concrete driveway with a 3% grade. The
victim turned the forklift behind the trailer, and the forklift began
to tip over on its side. The victim jumped from the operator's seat to
the driveway. When the forklift overturned, the victim's head and neck
became pinned to the concrete driveway under the falling-object
protective structure (overhead guard). An inspection of the forklift
revealed that the right-side rear axle stop was damaged before the
incident and was not restricting the lateral sway of the forklift when
it turned. Also, slack in the steering mechanism required the operator
to turn the steering wheel slightly more than half a revolution before
the wheels started to turn. The forklift was not equipped with a seat
belt [NIOSH 1996b].

Case 2-Forklift Overturn

On April 25,
1995, a 37-year-old shop foreman was fatally injured after the sit-down
type forklift he was operating overturned. The victim was turning while
backing down an incline with a 4% grade. The forklift was transporting a
3-foot-high, 150-pound stack of cardboard with the forks raised
approximately 60 inches off the ground. No one witnessed the incident.
The victim was found with his head pinned under the overhead guard. The
forklift was not equipped with a seat belt [California Department of
Health Services 1996].

Case 3-Forklift Overturn

On
November 25, 1996, a 41-year-old male laborer was fatally injured when
the sit-down type forklift he was operating fell off a loading dock and
pinned him under the overhead guard. The forklift was not equipped with a
seat belt. The loading dock had large cracks in the surface and was in
need of extensive repair. It was raining when the victim left the
storage building to lift a load from the back of a pickup truck.
Evidence indicates that either the victim's forklift was too close to
the outer edge of the loading dock (which crumbled) or the right front
tire was caught in a large crack in the loading dock, causing the
forklift to overturn [Indiana State Department of Health 1996].

Case 4-Worker Struck by Forklift

On
October 19, 1995, a 39-year-old female punch press operator at a
computer components manufacturer was fatally injured while performing
normal work tasks at her station. A forklift was traveling in reverse at
high speed toward the victim's work station. A witness observed the
forklift strike a metal scrap bin (about 3 by 5 by 3½ feet), propelling
it toward the punch press station. The bin hit the press and rebounded
toward the forklift. There it was hit once again and shoved back against
the corner of the press, striking and crushing the victim against the
press [NIOSH 1996c].

Case 5-Fall from Forklift

On July 21,
1997, a 36-year-old male electric-line technician was fatally injured
after falling from and being run over by a forklift. While the operator
was driving the forklift, the victim was riding on the forks. As the
operator approached an intersection, he slowed down and turned his head
to check for oncoming traffic. When he turned his head back, he could
not see the victim. He stopped the forklift, dismounted, and found the
victim underneath the right side of the forklift [NIOSH 1997a].

Case 6-Fall from Forklift

On
September 24, 1997, a 61-year-old male maintenance manager of a shelter
for the homeless died after falling 7 feet from a safety platform that
had been elevated by a forklift. The victim had been raised in a
steel-framed, cage-type safety platform that had not been secured to the
forklift. The victim removed a fluorescent light bulb from its fixture
and stepped to one side of the safety platform. When the victim shifted
his weight from the center of the platform to the outer edge, the safety
platform toppled off the forks. The victim fell about 7 feet, struck
his head on a concrete floor, and was subsequently struck by the steel
safety platform [NIOSH 1997b].

Case 7-Fall from Forklift

On
September 6, 1995, a 47-year-old male assistant warehouse manager was
fatally injured while working with a forklift operator to pull tires
from a storage rack. The two workers had placed a wooden pallet on the
forks of the forklift, and the victim then stood on the pallet. The
operator raised the forks and victim 16 feet above a concrete floor to
the top of the storage rack. The victim had placed a few tires on the
pallet when the operator noticed that the pallet was becoming unstable.
The victim lost his balance and fell, striking his head on the floor
[NIOSH 1996a].

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Background

Forklifts, also known as powered industrial
trucks, are used in numerous work settings, primarily to move materials.
Each year in the United States, nearly 100 workers are killed and
another 20,000 are seriously injured in forklift-related incidents [BLS
1997, 1998].
Forklift overturns are the leading cause of
fatalities involving forklifts; they represent about 25% of all
forklift-related deaths

Fatality Data

The
following paragraphs summarize information about fatalities involving
forklifts. The information is from databases that identify work-related
fatalities in the United States.

National Traumatic Occupational Fatalities (NTOF) Surveillance System

In
the United States, 1,021 workers died from traumatic injuries suffered
in forklift-related incidents from 1980 to 1994. The NTOF Surveillance
System uses death certificates to identify work-related deaths. These
fatalities resulted from the following types of incidents:

Type of Incident

% total victims

Forklift overturns

22

Worker on foot struck by forklift

20

Victim crushed by forklift

16

Fall from forklift

9

Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI)

Current Standards

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

OSHA
has developed standards for powered industrial trucks (such as low- and
high-lift trucks and forklift trucks) [29 CFR* 1910.178] and for
forklifts used in the construction industry [29 CFR 1926.600; 1926.602].
*Code of Federal Regulations. See CFR in references.

Training

OSHA
has promulgated the Final Rule for Powered Industrial Truck Operator
Training [29 CFR 1910.178(l)], which became effective March 1, 1999. The
standard requires operator training and licensing as well as periodic
evaluations of operator performance. The standard also addresses
specific training requirements for truck operation, loading, seat belts,
overhead protective structures, alarms, and maintenance of industrial
trucks. Refresher training is required if the operator is observed
operating the truck in an unsafe manner, is involved in an accident or
near miss, or is assigned a different type of truck.

Forklift Maintenance

OSHA
requires that industrial trucks be examined before being placed in
service. They shall not be placed in service if the examination shows
any condition adversely affecting the safety of the vehicle. Such
examination shall be made at least daily. When industrial trucks are
used around the clock, they shall be examined after each shift. When
defects are found, they shall be immediately reported and corrected [29
CFR 1910.178(q)(7)].

Forklift Operation

OSHA requirements for forklift operation are as follows:

On
all grades, the load and load engaging means shall be tilted back, if
applicable, and raised only as far as needed to clear the road surface.
The forks shall not be raised or lowered while the forklift is moving
[29 CFR 1910.178 (n)(7)(iii)].

Under all travel conditions, the
truck shall be operated at a speed that will permit it to be brought
safely to a stop [29 CFR 1910.178 (n)(8)].

The operator shall
slow down and sound the horn at cross aisles and other locations where
vision is obstructed [29 CFR 1910.178 (n)(4)].

The operator is required to look toward and keep a clear view of the travel path [29 CFR 1910.178(n)(6)].

Unauthorized
personnel shall not be permitted to ride on powered industrial trucks. A
safe place to ride shall be provided where the riding of trucks is
authorized [29 CFR 1910.178 (m)(3)].

Forklift trucks shall not be driven up to anyone standing in front of a bench or other fixed object [29 1910.178 (m)(1)].

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Youth Employment

The FLSA [29 USC
201 et seq.] (the primary law governing the employment of youth under
age 18) includes work declared hazardous for youth by the Secretary of
Labor. Hazardous Order No. 7, Power-Driven Hoisting Apparatus Occupations,
prohibits workers under age 18 from using forklifts and similar
equipment in nonagricultural industries [29 CFR 570.58]. In agricultural
industries, minors under age 16 are prohibited from using forklifts [29
CFR 570.71 (a)(3)(ii)].United States Code.
Not
all working minors are covered by the FLSA. The regulations in
agriculture do not apply to minors working on their parents' farms. Also
exempted are youths aged 14 and 15 who are working under carefully
regulated conditions in a bona fide vocational agriculture program.

American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)/American National Standards Institute (ANSI)

When work is being
performed from an elevated platform, a restraining means such as rails,
chains, etc., shall be in place, or a body belt with lanyard or
deceleration device shall be worn by the person(s) on the platform
(ASME/ANSI B56.1, §4.17.1[b]) [ASME 1993].

Operation

An
operator should avoid turning, if possible, and should use extreme
caution on grades, ramps, or inclines. Normally the operator should
travel straight up and down (ASME/ANSI B56.1, §5.3.8[d]) [ASME 1993].

The
operator of a sit-down type forklift should stay with the truck if
lateral or longitudinal tip over occurs. The operator should hold on
firmly and lean away from the point of impact (ASME/ANSI B56.1,
§5.3.18[d]) [ASME 1993].

In addition to the above
regulations, employers and workers should follow operator's manuals,
which are supplied by all equipment manufacturers and describe the safe
operation and maintenance of forklifts.